Your first ingredient: Quality pots and pans

If you are thinking about giving a set of cookware to a new bride or replacing your pots, you need to do your homework first.

"No matter what type of pots and pans you choose, they should be heavy enough to conduct heat evenly and keep foods from scorching," said Lisa McManus of America's Test Kitchen and senior editor for Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines in Brookline, Mass.

Most pots and pans look similar, but the recipes turn out better when the cook uses the right pot, she said.

Copper-bottom and French copper pots were once considered the top choice for cooks, and although copper is still popular and is a great conductor of heat, it has definite drawbacks.

"Copper is very expensive, and it reacts with acidic foods," McManus said.

The cost for a 10-piece set can range from $139 to as much as $259.

Anodized aluminum cookware is affordable, heats up quickly and does not react with acidic foods, making it a great choice for sautéing.

Normally, aluminum is soft and can react with acidic food, but once it goes through the anodizing process, it becomes stronger, slicker, more durable and non-reactive with other foods, according to calphalon.com, a manufacturer of anodized aluminum cookware.

The cost for a 10-piece set can range from $199 to $599, depending on the gauge and coating on the aluminum.

Cast iron also conducts heat well and is inexpensive compared to other materials, McManus said.

"It does require seasoning before using, and scrubbing the pan should be avoided," she said.

Drawbacks exist: Cast iron reacts with acidic sauces and can rust if not properly cleaned and seasoned. Also, cast iron can be extremely heavy.

Another option is enamel-coated cast iron. Pat McGrath, owner of Cook's Tour in Mountainhome, uses only the enameled kind.

"When you use the enameled cast iron, you don't have to worry about taking care of it. You can leave a pan in the kitchen sink to soak," she said.

Although McGrath said she knows that cast iron is heavier than many other types of cookware, "stainless cannot compare with how evenly cast iron cooks foods."

Using the enameled pots eliminates acidic reactions and the need to season the pan, McManus said.

A 6-quart enameled dutch oven can range from to $64 to as much as $399, and plain cast iron from $39 to $109. A set of cast iron can cost $98 to $200.

Tri-ply cookware is the best choice, McManus said.

"It will consistently provide the best results," she said.

Triple-ply construction consists of a core of aluminum, stainless or copper encased in stainless steel.

"The one downside to tri-ply cookware is the expense, but the upside is they will last forever," McManus said.

An eight-piece set can cost about $299, while a high-end 10-piece set can reach $1,899. The lower priced set only has tri-ply on the bottom of each pot, while the upper end consist of pots that are entirely tri-ply.

As senior editor, one of McManus' responsibilities is to oversee the product testing done in America's Test Kitchen.

"We've never liked cookware sets," she said. "Most bundle together a lot of pans we don't need and not enough of the ones we do."

Instead of buying an entire set that usually includes the lids in the pieces count, paying for things such as a 1-quart saucepan good for little more than melting butter, or an 8-inch skillet that's only useful if you're cooking for one, choose five or six hardworking multitaskers, she said.

McManus said there isn't any reason to clog your cabinets with sauté pan skillets with high, straight sides; sauciers, rounded saucepans with wide rims; or a chef's pan — simply a saucepan shaped like a wok. If you've already got a Dutch oven and other basic pans, they can do the job of all of these.

"Look at the cookware and think how you will be using each piece," she said.

Try picking it up in your hand to see how the handle feels. Some pots go for a fancy-looking handle, but it isn't necessarily designed for comfort and easy holding.

"See how the handle is fastened on the pot and make sure the handle doesn't turn in your hand," she said. "Having a hot pot or pan turn in your hand can cause a burning accident."

Most importantly, McManus said, even though one or two pieces of quality cookware might seem expensive, "they will last for years, and you can buy the pieces that you want and will use over a period of time."